4498 E. Highway 140 Merced, California 95340
A few weeks ago my wife and I took our youngest grandson to San
Francisco for the day. We had taken the Bart into the heart of
downtown and then hopped onto a cable car that took us to the
wharf. After a great lunch we were just walking along and enjoying
all the sights and watching the street entertainers. (My grandson
said, ‘Papa, these people will do anything for money in this
town.’)
Anyway, as we were walking along, I heard an old familiar sound
of a thump, thump, thump. It was music to my ears and I began to
track down the sound. Sure enough a boat pulled into the dock and
it was powered by a single cylinder engine. The boat is a 1924
Monterey Clipper named Dixie. It was built at Fisherman’s Wharf
for Joseph DiMaggio, Sr., fisherman and father of the great
‘Yankee Clipper,’ baseball fame. engine that powers Dixie
along is a 6 HP Hicks.
Captain of the old boat is Maury Poise who is a Bay native. The
Dixie was sunken when he bought it. He resurrected it and put it
back into action. Maury gives narrated cruises and takes people out
into the Bay for a look at Alcatraz and down to Pier 39 for a
close-up look at all the sea lions. For me, and my wife and
grandson, this was the highlight of our trip and I recommend that
if you are an engine enthusiast, check it out the next time you are
in San Francisco!
The Dixie sails from C Dock down at Fisherman’s Wharf. The
price is $10.00 for adults and the cruise is 40 minutes long.